The Mind Creative
Ahmad Deedat, the best-known disseminator of Islam in the
twentieth century, president of the Islamic Propagation Centre
International (IPCI), spent the last nine years of his life paralyzed
from the neck down after suffering a stroke, unable to speak or
swallow. He was the author of over 20 books and countless
pamphlets on Islam, millions of copies of which were distributed
for free, many of which had been translated into various
languages. Needless to say, millions of Muslims prayed in vain for
his recovery. He died in 2005.
Pope John Paul II personified physical pain in the last decade of
his life, having been afflicted with Parkinson’s disease. On the
other hand, many despots and dictators, who lived to ripe old age,
died in relatively good health. Among them, Hafez Al Assad of
Syria (70 years), Joseph Stalin of Russia (75 years), Francisco
Franco of Spain (82 years), and Deng Xiaoping of China (92 years).
Like death, the perils of old age
do not discriminate by race or
religion, wealth or knowledge,
power or piety. Nor do they
distinguish between saints and
sinners. The wages of youth
must be paid in old age, more or
less, by all those who find themselves fortunate enough to live
long. Ageing may not hit everyone with the same ferocity or
brutality. But make no mistake;
the human body is not like good
wine.
It doesn’t get better with age.
Images:
http://yunchunglee.blogspot.com.au
http://www.kvostava.us/blog/
http://www.accountancyage.com
http://conversation.which.co.uk
http://occident.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.valuewalk.com/
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